


Standing Up With Love

by Pey119



Series: STS [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Demigods (Percy Jackson), Annabeth Chase Dies, Complete, Cute Nico, Established Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, F/M, Ghost Nico di Angelo, Ghost Will Solace, M/M, Married Couple, Murder, Nico Feels, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Fluff, Percy Jackson Dies, Series, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 09:11:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19248157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pey119/pseuds/Pey119
Summary: Sequel to Standing on the Surface. What would have happened to Percy and Annabeth in this universe





	1. Chapter 1

Percy first knew that something was wrong with the house when he stepped into that bedroom on the third floor. Everything had just been...left. Dust was the only reminder that no one was currently living there. The blankets were pulled back on the bed, the closet door was wide open. Clothes of all colors hung.

"Hello?" Percy managed. "If someone's here, I bought this house. You can't be here anymore."

The room seemed to laugh at him, suffocating him. He ran out with a sick sense of death.

Most of the house seemed happy and livable, a good place for his family. A cheap place. But two bedrooms felt like death, felt like the living didn't belong. So he made sure to lock the doors and hide the key from sight.

And as it turned out, Annabeth didn't notice. She didn't notice anything, really. She always sat at the dining room table with her blueprints out in front of her, staring at the pages as if God himself was speaking through them. Their kids couldn't get a word out of her, nor could Percy.

And it hurt, oh god did it hurt. His chest ached and his heart barely beat. He missed his wife. His kids missed their mom. But she still didn't look at them.

There were cries in the night, horrible nightmares that tormented his oldest daughter. She wanted her mom to comfort her. Her mom just wanted to get an hour of rest.

The second night the cries stopped. Percy peeked into the room to find Octavia sitting on her bed, her blankets wrapped around her shoulders as she watched something unseen to Percy but so vivid to her. Something that calmed her down enough to eventually fall asleep.

Even though she was calmed, it freaked Percy out. Someone, something, was there. It was in his house and he couldn't see it, couldn't touch it, couldn't feel it. But it spoke to his daughter and made itself known to her.

And he couldn't do a damn thing about it.


	2. Chapter 2

Will sat with his back against the wall, his hand rubbing his throat as he watched the girl start to have a nightmare. He wasn't sure what it was from, but it looked pretty nasty. When tears started to stream down her face, he finally woke her up in hopes to help make sure they wouldn't come back.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not moving from his spot in fear that he'd scare her more than she already was. "My name's Will. I saw you were having a nightmare."

The girl sat up with red-rimmed eyes and a running nose. "Why are you in my room?"

"I saw you crying." Will sat cross-legged. "You were having a nightmare?"

She nodded. "About mom dying."

Will frowned sadly. "Oh... Is it different each time?"

She nodded. "Every night it changes... If I tell my dad he gets sad."

"That's cause he cares about you," Will explained. "He doesn't like to see you sad. But you should still tell him so he can help... What's your name?"

"Octavia," she answered quietly. "I hate it."

"Why? I think it's pretty." Will replied. "It's different than everyone else's. That's good."

"My sister can't say it," Octavia muttered. "She calls me Octa. And people look at me weird when I tell them. I want to change it."

"Maybe you can when you get older." Will wrapped her blanket around her shoulders when he saw that she was shivering. "But your parents named you that for a reason. They really like it and think it's pretty."

"Yeah..." she kept the blanket close. "Do you live here?"

Will nodded. "So does Nico. He's my...friend. Special friend."

Octavia giggled. "That's what dad says about mom."

Will smiled. "I guess so."


	3. Chapter 3

"You can't do that!" Nico yelled, his fists flying to his hair. "You can't show yourself to them!"

"Why not?!" Will demanded. "I was trying to help her!"

"What if she tells her parents?!" Nico asked. "They'll move out."

"So?"

"If nobody buys this house then they'll tear it down!" Nico explained. "What do you think will happen to us if that happens?!"

Will rubbed his sore throat. "I don't know... I didn't think about that."

"Exactly."

Will leaned back against the wall. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Nico, okay? I'm sorry."

"Just don't do it again." Nico looked up at the empty noose. Why hadn't they also taken it when they came for Will's body? "Promise?"

"Promise," Will replied, but his fingers were crossed behind his back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's this game called?" Octavia asked after their first match of marbles. "It's really fun."

"Marbles." Will started to collect them back into the bag. "They're Nico's."

"Why doesn't Nico ever come?" Octavia asked. She laid on her stomach, wrapped in one of her blankets. "It's only ever you."

Will chuckled. "Nico doesn't want to scare you."

"He wouldn't scare me." she sat up with a small smile. "You don't. You're my friend. And you like him."

"I do." Will's smile dropped. "But...but you can't tell your parents about us, okay?"

"Why not?"

"If you tell them they might take you away," Will admitted. "You might have to move again. And I don't want that to happen."

"Me neither." Octavia decided. "I won't tell them. But daddy's gonna find out."

"Why do you say that?" Will asked.

She shrugged her small shoulders. "He found out that people died here."

Will felt himself stiffen. "Really? What'd he say about it?"

"He was talking to momma. Said someone died. But she said it was okay. It's okay, right?"

Will nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, it's okay."

"Then why do you look like that?" she asked.

"No reason." Will tied the bag closed. "No reason."


	4. Chapter 4

Nico stared at the woman in front of him, noticed her tired eyes and tired soul. Saw himself mirrored there. And in a thoughtless moment, he became a hypocrite as he made himself visible to her in the dark dining room. "Annabeth, is it?"

Gray eyes met his but not in fear, only in curiosity. "What are you?"

Nico couldn't help but smile. "You could say a human, you could say a ghost."

"Are you planning to hurt my kids?" Annabeth asked. "If so I'll get a priest here and get you out."

"I'm not going to hurt them," Nico swore.

"Then what do you want?" Annabeth snapped. "I'm busy. If I'm gonna give you time, I'd rather give my kids time."

"I want to know if I can help." Nico offered. "Will said the kids really miss you. Why are you so obsessed with work?"

Annabeth pursed her lips. "It pays the bills. They aren't imaginary as Percy tries to say."

Nico looked at the blueprints. "Why not get a regular job?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "No."

Nico smirked. "What about forcing Percy to get a job?"

Annabeth's lips twitched. "That'd be something, huh? Maybe I will. But that doesn't stop what I need to do here."

"Take more time with your kids." Nico tried. "They really miss you."

Annabeth's face fell. "I miss them, too."

Nico spread his hands. "Then spend time with them. Seriously. Tell Percy what you're worried about and he'll make it work. I'm sure he will."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "How do you know so much, huh?"

Nico shrugged. "Just a simple ghost, saying what he sees."

"A simple ghost." Annabeth shook her head. "How'd you die?"

"Got sick." Nico pointed to the ceiling. "But Will? He killed himself."

"How?"

"Hanging."

"Where?"

"Attic."

"Is the body gone?"

"Yep."

Annabeth looked back at her blueprints. "Okay, then."

Nico smiled. "You're just that cool with us?"

Annabeth nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Nico shrugged. "I'm a ghost."

"And I'm a human." Annabeth held the blueprints out to him. "See if you can figure it out. I'll go read the girls to sleep."

Nico smirked in victory. "Okay. Take your time."


	5. Chapter 5

So many universes, so many possibilities. In one, Annabeth and Percy died that day trying to save their kids. But in this one, they lived.

For the day, at least.

Instead of going out to play that day, the girls stayed inside to play marbles with Will. They hadn't meant to get addicted to the game, but some things just happened. They played while Nico watched, a faint smile on his pale face.

Percy and Annabeth fought all day, and before going to bed, forgot to lock the doors.

If you had to choose how you died, what would you choose? Drowning, a death so painful it's feared by many, or getting shot down for the price of the goods in your house? Dying to save your kids, or watching someone else kill them before you? Finding their bodies on the floor, surrounded by blood? Seeing their bodies fall beneath the waters, sinking into ultimate death?

A family slaughtered by robbers, two ghosts who tried to help but couldn't. At the end of the night, four new ghosts to haunt what could already be labeled as a haunted mansion.


End file.
